News

Apple locks TV Out in new iPods, breaks video add-ons

By Jeremy Horwitz ● Friday, September 7, 2007

Did you buy an add-on display, dock, speaker system, car accessory or cable with video-out for your color 4G or 5G iPod? Were you expecting it to work with the iPod classic or new iPod nano? Think again.

Without disclosing the change to customers, Apple has locked the TV Out feature of the iPod classic and video-capable iPod nano, preventing users from outputting iPod content to their TV sets as has been done in years past. Going to the Videos > Settings menu brings up a TV Out option that is now unresponsive when clicked, showing only the word “off.” When locked, video content will display on the iPod’s screen, but not on your TV or portable display accessory.*

Presently, the only apparent way to turn this feature on is if you connect your iPod to a device with an Apple authentication chip built in. Authentication chips are only available in Apple products, and in a handful of products made by Apple-licensed third-party developers. The chips are not available to unlicensed developers, and add additional costs to the prices of iPod accessories. Upcoming Apple video cables that will work with the new iPods will sell for a staggering $49.

Testing results with old accessories have been mixed, but largely negative. iLounge has tested the new iPods with Apple’s Universal Dock and iPod Hi-Fi, both of which unlock the TV Out option—even though the Hi-Fi has no video out feature. We have also confirmed that the new iPods do not work in popular portable video displays such as the Memorex iFlip and Sonic Impact Video-55, or most speakers with video output capabilities. One notable third-party exception is Bowers and Wilkins’ recent $600 speaker system Zeppelin, which appears to contain an authentication chip and have been assisted during development by Apple, unlike its lower-priced peers.

It is unclear whether Apple will also require new accessory purchases in order to unlock video output in its upcoming iPod touch. We will have more on this story as it develops.

[Updated: Starting in subsequent versions of the iPod nano and iPod classic firmware, Apple changed the Videos > Settings > TV Out menu option in a small and relatively unimportant way: you can now select “On” or “Ask” regardless of whether any accessory is connected, but neither of these settings will work to actually output video from these iPods to an external display unless you have connected a new accessory with an authentication chip. Similarly, the iPod touch and iPhone will only output video to authentication chip-equipped accessories, bringing up a Display on TV dialog box whenever you start video playback with such an accessory attached, and refusing to bring up that option otherwise. Pre-authentication chip video accessories remain unable to perform video from the iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, and iPhone.]

Comments

1

Definitely not cool for those of you who use video. Almost Redmondesque in its audacity to lock-in buyers into a newly conceived ecosystem. Guess ‘Made for iPod’ isn’t all that it was made out to be, after all.

Posted by flatline response in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 10:57 AM (CDT)

1

“Upcoming Apple video cables that will work with the new iPods will sell for a staggering $49.”

Um, staggering in what way? You make it sound like all you get is a cable. But really for that price, you get the cable, a universal dock, and a USB power adapter. Is that not a good deal.

Posted by K. Pilkington in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:02 AM (CDT)

1

can anyone with has one of the portable video displays confirm that the new classiscs don’t work?

Posted by dave in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:18 AM (CDT)

1

So what’s the story on iPhone video-out? The Apple website sez the new Universal Dock and video cables support iPhone. But I’ve never heard anyone talk about video support now or future on iPhone.

Jim

Posted by Jim Pollock in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:18 AM (CDT)

1

apparently, I need to learn to read the entire article-it had broken the video devices that I was thinking of-oh well, looks like we will be seeing a whole lot of new accessories..

Posted by dave in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:20 AM (CDT)

1

If this really results in higher prices as implied and makes it so you can’t purchase budget-priced video accessories, then I think and hope Apple will start to see a really negative trend. Not only does this lock out consumers, but manufacturers as well. Where before you could use a cheap or even dubious accessory and only be worried that it was a piece of junk, now you will not be able to make it work with your ipod at all. This really gives Apple the ability to pick and choose what companies they want the user to buy from. How long until they make it so music won’t play through a speaker dock unless it’s “authorized?” Or so data can’t be sent to the ipod unless you use an “approved” cable? Bad move Apple, this very much goes against the ideals and reputation you’ve established with the ipod. Maybe you got sick of unauthorized accessories but you shouldn’t make the customer take the hit for that.

Posted by Joshdude in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:22 AM (CDT)

1

Welcome to the new Microsoft/Sony.

No doubt someone will come up with a software fix for Apple’s magnanamous gesture. Sorry but I’m sticking with my 4gen Photo until it’s full. No more money for Apple until I need what their flogging.

Posted by Dave in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:23 AM (CDT)

1

I agree with you K. Pilkington! But, in case you haven’t noticed, there be a lot of whiners here on the InterTubes.

And yet another flatline comment from flatline response. Ah, some things never change. Do you even own any Apple products, flatline?

Posted by The Raven in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:25 AM (CDT)

1

i’m affraid the classic won’t work in my car…
i have the mazda adaptor (installed by them). i know it’s just audio, but you know… it would piss me off…

Posted by larouche in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:25 AM (CDT)

1

“Is $49 not a good deal?”

With the prior models you could use a $5 video cable or even the cable that had come with your digital camcorder. $49 to buy a bunch of stuff you don’t need is hardly a good deal.

Posted by Dan A. in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:38 AM (CDT)

1

“But, in case you haven’t noticed, there be a lot of whiners here on the InterTubes.”

And apparently a lot of fanboys willing to look the other way while Apple lifts yet more dollars from their wallets.

Posted by proanim8r in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:51 AM (CDT)

1

Anybody know if it will work with the DLO Home Dock Deluxe?

Posted by MK in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 11:56 AM (CDT)

1

Kinda makes me wish I had bought a iPhone on launch day, so I’d have $100 in Apple store credit to buy the damn video adapter.

This is flat-out lame. Hopefully there will be cheaper cable-only options from 3rd-parties, etc. You shouldn’t be forced to buy a dock and power adapter, in addition to the video cable.

Takes some of the thrill out of the 160GB model which could store a ton of movies even at high resolution.

Posted by madmaxmedia in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:18 PM (CDT)

1

Uh… if you’d bought an iPhone on launch day, even with the $100 rebate you’d still be $100 poorer than if you were to instead buy an iPhone now, for $200 less than the launch day price.

Posted by sjonke in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:22 PM (CDT)

1

i can remember when two companies started to emerge with competing OS’s. company A only allowed their OS to run on their computers the other company (let’s say company M) allowed it to be licensed to and run on many computers at one time it was a 95% to 5% market share.

don’t get me wrong i love my 5.5G iPod and my iMac and also think OSX is better than Vista and XP but the more Jobs does this the more potential there is for people to go elsewhere.

Posted by hydra-calm in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:30 PM (CDT)

1

sjonke- I was being sarcastic. ;)

Anyway, I think the actual explanation is that Apple has simply discontinued video out through the headphone jack. You may be able to use any cheap video out cable that goes through the dock connector. The old Apple dock still works as well.

Posted by madmaxmedia in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:30 PM (CDT)

1

“Um, staggering in what way? You make it sound like all you get is a cable. But really for that price, you get the cable, a universal dock, and a USB power adapter. Is that not a good deal.”

For 49.99 you get the cables and a wall adaptor. No universal dock.

Posted by Ethan120 in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:35 PM (CDT)

1

This is so wrong. There are a lot of people who have already made investments in video players and cables. I disagree with those who say this is whining. This is like all those years that Ninentdo kept making you buy all new games because the new consoles wouldn’t support your existing library. It ended up empowering Sony. My Sonic player wasn’t cheap and now, if I buy a new iPod, I can’t use it. At this point, now I will more seriously consider Archos, who I had been ruling out due to proprietary accessories.

Posted by sgrmba in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:41 PM (CDT)

1

Oh, wow; that’s like 10 kinds of BS. Apple is turning into a vertically-integrated company. Wasn’t that illegal before Bush was crowned?

Even though I rarely use the video out feature on my 5G, I appreciate having that option, therefore I will NOT be buying a new iPod until this is remedied.

Also, $50 is ridiculous for a cable (and they’re not even good quality). Wall adapters cost very little and I already have two, so that is in no way a deal. Another way to bleed money from the consumer.

Posted by Camembert in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:53 PM (CDT)

1

quote
”Anyway, I think the actual explanation is that Apple has simply discontinued video out through the headphone jack. You may be able to use any cheap video out cable that goes through the dock connector. The old Apple dock still works as well.”

so if my dock is sonnected to my TV by a S-video cable, it should be ok to check pictures and video on my tv with an iPod classic on my old dock?

Posted by larouche in East Amherst, NY, USA on September 7, 2007 at 12:55 PM (CDT)